Friday, September 14, 2007

MCA up-righting negative discrimination

The MCA has expressed fears that non-Malays will be sidelined if hiring quotas are enforced.

At least two grassroots leaders have stridently spoken out to oppose the government's requirement for public listed companies (PLCs) to provide a breakdown of their staff by race.

Kota Melaka MP Wong Nai Chi has issued a statement that non-Malay companies were worried that they would be forced to meet racial quotas for staff. The statement by Wong is quite telling, if not bringing things out into the open about the practice of racial discrimination in the staffing of PLCs.

The fact that non-Malays are crying foul over this only gives cogent explanation to the hidden practice of not considering Malays for positions over preference for non-Malays due to assumed and misguded incapabilities of the former.

By questioning such an arrangement, which was wrought following a study of the state of imbalance in the economy with reference to staffing ratio, the MCA is representing a scenario and status quo that speaks of another form of discrimination.

MCA Youth Economic Bureau chief, Datuk Henry Wong said the private sector relied solely on its own resources to hire personnel who can work most efficiently and productively for the company.

Just what did he mean by that? Is he implying that the Malays are below par in efficiency and productivity in the private sector? This kind of presumption is not doing any more good to improve the lot of the private sector staffing needs.

Lets look at the reality of the situation. This remedy needs to be invoked as it is for the good of the country and our well-being. Perhaps, it will only look threatening and discriminatory if one looks at it from blinkered perspectives based on morally corrupt views of equality in a country like Malaysia.